Flood Control Facilities

Completed in 2015, the Armstrong Park Reservoirs offer flood protection within the Klein Creek Watershed. The reservoirs are located along Klein Creek in Armstrong Park (Carol Stream) and have a floodwater capacity of 37 million gallons. The reservoirs were constructed as joint effort between DuPage County Stormwater Management, the Village of Carol Stream and the Carol Stream Park District to alleviate flooding for nearly 60 structures in the watershed. In order to do this, DuPage County constructed a two-reservoir system that operates when water elevations in Klein Creek increase in order to divert floodwaters from the majority of the nearby Armstrong Park neighborhood. Reservoir One takes in water directly from Klein Creek and upon reaching a specific elevation, water is pumped into Reservoir Two, a much larger storage reservoir. A 60-inch siphon under Arrowhead Trail, Indianwood Drive and Thunderbird Trail conveys water from the reservoirs back into Klein Creek once river elevations have subsided following flood events.

Klein Creek Watershed Plan

The Klein Creek Watershed Plan Addendum No. 2 was included in West Branch DuPage River Interim Watershed Plan.

In fall of 2013, DuPage County Stormwater Management, the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County and the Village of Bartlett completed construction of an approximately $4.8 million flood control improvement project along Brewster Creek in Bartlett.

The Brewster Creek Headwaters Project reduces flooding northeast of the intersection of Illinois Route 59 and Stearns Road. Located on the north side of Stearns Road, the existing Beaver Pond had an undersized outlet that was causing significant flooding in the area. In order to relieve some of these issues, DuPage County Stormwater Management constructed a flood storage and water quality basin within Pratt’s Wayne Woods Forest Preserve, located south of Stearns Road, to collect floodwater from Beaver Pond. Crews installed more than 2,100 feet of 60-inch pipe under Stearns Road and nearly 5,000 feet of bypass storm sewer in Wayne Grove Forest Preserve to divert floodwater and alleviate drainage backups. The basin also uses native vegetation to help improve the quality of the floodwater before it is discharged into the adjacent Brewster Creek.

The Village of Bartlett first recognized the need for this project, prompting DuPage County to include it as a preferred flood control alternative within the Brewster Creek Watershed Plan Addendum. Designed by Christopher Burke Engineering, the project was one of four projects funded through a 2010 DuPage County bond to address significant flooding and water quality issues throughout the County. 

The Ferry Creek Watershed is approximately 12.2 square miles in size and includes portions of the Cities of Warrenville and Naperville, and unincorporated areas of Winfield and Naperville Townships. The Country Lakes and Longwood Subdivisions located in unincorporated DuPage County suffered extensive flooding during a July 1996 storm event. A watershed study was performed to determine the location and extent of overbank flooding and analyze alternatives to reduce or eliminate this flooding. The Country Lakes Storm Sewer System Drainage Improvement Project was one improvement that was recommended in the Ferry Creek Watershed Plan that was approved by the DuPage County Board in July of 1999. The project included the installation of approximately 5,700 feet of storm sewer in the Country Lakes and Longwood Subdivisions in unincorporated DuPage County, as well as the construction of more than 6.5 million gallons of compensatory stormwater storage on property located at LaSalle Avenue and Bond Street.

The Crest Road and Dale Road basins are located within the vicinity of the Marion Hills subdivision within the Sawmill Creek watershed in the City of Darien. The Sawmill Creek watershed is approximately 12.5 square miles in size in the southeastern corner of DuPage County and includes the Cities of Darien, Willowbrook and Burr Ridge. It contains more than nineteen miles of major drainage ways. The northern portion of the watershed is developed in residential and light commercial uses; the southern portion is largely undeveloped and includes the Waterfall Glen Forest Preserve and the Argonne National Laboratory. Sawmill Creek is a tributary to the Des Plaines River. Historical flood damage includes residential flooding in the Marion Hills area and scattered flooding throughout the watershed. Frequent overtopping of Sawmill Creek due to poor conveyance and the lack of storage cause these damages.

The Crest Road and Dale Road basins were identified within an Addendum to the Sawmill Creek Watershed Plan that was approved by the County Board in 1998. The Dale Road Basin is located just north of 68th Street and east of Dale Road. This basin was constructed in 2003 and provides approximately 14 acre-feet of stormwater storage. The Crest Road Basin is located at the northwest corner of Plainfield Road and Route 83. It was completed in 2005 and provides approximately 34 acre-feet of stormwater storage. These basins operate without human intervention and function entirely by gravity. Both basins have been planted with native vegetation which provides habitat for wildlife and promotes infiltration and water quality benefits. These basins help to reduce or eliminate flooding to approximately 35 structures and 100 properties within the Sawmill Creek watershed. 

Overview

Located in southwest Elmhurst, DuPage County Stormwater Management’s and the City of Elmhurst's Eldridge Park Reservoir provides nearly 40 million gallons, or 120 acre-feet, of flood protection for the Salt Creek Watershed. 

Background

In the early 1990s, the City of Elmhurst constructed the Eldridge Park Reservoir in conjunction with the construction of the nearby Elmhurst Levee, which helps to protect areas of the City from flooding along Salt Creek. However, the construction of DuPage County Stormwater Management’s Elmhurst Quarry Flood Control Facility in 1996 altered the function of Eldridge Park Reservoir. Specifically, the water surface elevations at Eldridge Park were no longer high enough to flow over the intake weir into the reservoir because of the Quarry. In May 1999, the DuPage County Board approved an Addendum to the Lower Salt Creek Watershed Plan that included the Eldridge Park Reservoir Modification Project. The modifications included re-grading the bottom of the reservoir and lowering the overflow weir to allow floodwater into the reservoir at a lower elevation. The modified reservoir now offers protection for additional flood prone areas within the Salt Creek Watershed.  
 
Eldridge Park Reservoir Modification Project 

Three separate local governmental agencies have an interest in the land where the Eldridge Park Reservoir is located. The Forest Preserve District of DuPage County owns the land and leases it to the Elmhurst Park District. The City of Elmhurst has a permanent easement over the reservoir and is responsible for the maintenance of the facility. In 2002, DuPage County entered into an Intergovernmental Agreement with these three agencies to define the design, construction and maintenance responsibilities for the Eldridge Park Reservoir Modification Project. Construction of the modification was completed in 2003 at a cost of approximately $520,000. DuPage County paid for these improvements through the 2001 Stormwater Bond Issue.  

Public Tour

In partnership with the Elmhurst History Museum, DuPage County Stormwater Management will offer the public a rare opportunity to tour its Elmhurst Quarry Flood Control Facility on Saturday, September 21. Tours will depart every 30 minutes beginning at 9:30 a.m. and last 2 hours. The cost for the tour is $12 per person, payable to the Elmhurst History Museum. Quarry tour ticket sales will begin at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, September 3. Visit https://www.elmhursthistory.org/ and click on the "Special Events" section for more information and to access tickets.

About

The Elmhurst Quarry Flood Control Facility is an 8,300 acre-foot flood control facility on which construction began in March of 1993. The reservoir takes advantage of the old Elmhurst Chicago Stone Quarry located south of North Ave. on Illinois Route 83 in Elmhurst. The two lobes of the quarry are separated by a rock high wall which supports West Ave. There is a "keyway" in the wall which allows diverted flood water to fill both lobes. The East Lobe is the deeper of the two lobes with an average depth of 200 feet.

When Salt Creek water elevations near flood stage, excess flood water begins spilling into a diversion channel which conveys the water to a drop shaft. Water then falls down the drop shaft into a 400 ft. long tunnel which carries the water under Rte 83 from west to east and into the west lobe of the quarry. The water is then held in the quarry until in creek water levels have receded to safe levels. The water is then pumped back to Salt Creek at safe flow rates.

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• Watch a Quarry Video

The Fawell Dam is located on the West Branch of the DuPage River in the McDowell Grove Forest Preserve upstream of the City of Naperville. It was constructed between 1969 and 1971 by the Illinois Department of Transportation Division of Water Resources (now known as the Illinois Department of Natural Resources/Office of Water Resources). The purpose of the dam was to store floodwaters on the West Branch and thus reduce flood heights and flood damages in downtown Naperville. Moveable (operable) gates are present on the spillway (outlet) of the dam. The IDNR/OWR owned and maintained the dam until 1998, when ownership and maintenance responsibilities were transferred to DuPage County.

The Dam is approximately 26 feet high and has a crest length of approximately 1480 feet. The outlet works consist of three 10 feet by 10 feet slide gates and similarly sized concrete box culverts passing through the dam. The slide gates are opened/closed as a function of reservoir water levels upstream of the dam during storm events. The County recently updated two cameras located at the dam. This allows remote monitoring of water surface elevations as well as monitoring for security purposes.

• View Live Camera Images of Fawell Dam
• Link to Saddle Dike Piezometer Data  
• View Fawell Dam Informational Video

Downstream View



Downstream Face of the Structure

The Gary/Kehoe Reservoir is a 140 acre-ft capacity gravity controlled reservoir located on Tributary No. 2 to Klein Creek, near the intersection of Gary Avenue and Kehoe Blvd in Carol Stream. The reservoir includes a dam at the northwest corner of the reservoir. The dam is comprised of an earthen embankment that is approximately 20-feet high, and includes a concrete inflow spillway structure along Kehoe Blvd. As water surface elevations in the channel increase, water begins to spill over the concrete spillway into the reservoir. As water surface elevations decrease, the reservoir drains via gravity through an 18-inch diameter outlet culvert.

Construction of the reservoir was completed in 1999. It was one of the recommended flood control projects in the Klein Creek Flood Control Study and Watershed Plan that was adopted in 1994.

 

The Kress Creek Reservoir is located at Fabyan Parkway and Kress Creek, just southwest of the intersection of Fabyan Parkway and Roosevelt Road. The discharge structure is located just north (upstream) of the Fabyan Parkway Bridge over Kress Creek. This facility is gravity operated and holds water and discharges through a restricted weir. It was built in conjunction with the Kress Creek culvert replacement project in order to convey waters downstream into the reservoir and relieve flooding from upstream areas including West Chicago, unincorporated DuPage County, and areas adjacent to the DuPage County Airport.

 

Constructed on the site of a former quarry, the Meacham Grove Flood Control Facility is located in the Village of Bloomingdale within the Meacham Grove Forest Preserve. This gravity-operated offline storage reservoir and adjacent wetland area provide 575 acre-feet, or more than 187 million gallons, of floodwater storage from nearby Springbrook Creek, which is the largest tributary to Salt Creek. 

DuPage County Stormwater Management collaborated with the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County to design and construct the Meacham Grove Flood Control Facility in 1996. The facility is a major element of the Lower Salt Creek Watershed Plan, which serves to reduce flood damages in the area. 

To mitigate for flooding, floodwater from Springbrook Creek is diverted first into a wetland via an earthen dam with a box culvert constructed across the Creek. During rain events, when elevations in both the Creek and wetland rise, floodwater will begin to spill over the labyrinth weir into the adjacent Meacham Grove reservoir. Pictured below, the labyrinth weir consists of a series of trapezoidal structures, which increase the effective length of the weir without increasing the actual length of the weir. Following floods, the reservoir drains by gravity through an outlet south of the flood control facility back into Springbrook Creek.

Meacham Grove Reservoir



Labyrinth Weir

Background

The Black Partridge Creek watershed is in southeastern DuPage County in the southwest part of Downers Grove Township. The majority of the three square mile watershed (85%) is in DuPage County, with the remaining 15% in Will and Cook Counties. Black Partridge Creek is a tributary to the Des Plaines River. The DuPage County Board approved the Black Partridge Creek Watershed Plan in 1994.  

Flood Control Projects

Flood control alternatives identified in the watershed plan and through public comment included the construction of a 26 acre-feet, or nearly 8.5 million gallon, reservoir east of Woodward Avenue between I-55 and 101st Street, storm sewer improvements in the adjacent unincorporated Pleasantdale Subdivision and one voluntary buyout of a residential structure. The Pleasantdale Reservoir was constructed in 1995 on property purchased with DuPage County Stormwater Management and Public Works’ funds. In 2003, the storm sewer improvements were designed and constructed using grant funds obtained from the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).

The East Branch DuPage River Watershed drains an area of approximately 82 square miles within the central portion of DuPage County. From its headwaters near the Village of Bloomingdale, the East Branch flows in a south to southwesterly direction approximately 24 miles through residential, commercial and recreational areas of the communities of Bloomingdale, Glendale Heights, Lombard, Glen Ellyn, Downers Grove, Lisle, Westmont, Woodridge and Naperville. The River – Dumoulin Pump Station is the East Branch in the Village of Lisle between the I-88 Tollway and Maple Avenue. Also nearby is a levee system built by the then State Division of Waterways in the 1960’s to protect the area from flooding.  

A total of four pump stations were constructed in 2009 along the East Branch between Lacey Avenue and Burlington Avenue in Lisle to help alleviate standing water that accumulates on the landward side of the levee. The pump stations are located on the residential side of the river embankment at the toe of the embankment side slope. The locations were selected to be at relative low spots as indicated by topography. Surface stormwater must rise to a level that will enable it to flow overland to the pump station gravity inlets. The pump stations will then pump the stormwater over the levee into the East Branch DuPage River.

The four pumping stations minimize area flooding from small to medium sized storms. However, these stations are not designed to alleviate surface ponding, to prevent area flooding for major storm events or to prevent flooding when the river flow overtops the levee embankment. The local areas are relatively flat and ponding will continue to occur in low spots, because the general drainage patterns in the subdivision will remain unchanged.

Pump Station & Gravity Drains



Gravity Drains

Spring Creek Reservoir is an 870 acre-ft capacity reservoir located on Springbrook Creek, directly upstream of Lake Kadijah and the Medinah Country Club near the intersection of Lake Street and Medinah Road (in the Spring Creek Forest Preserve). The single cell reservoir was constructed on the site of an abandoned gravel quarry. The flow of water into the reservoir is controlled by a gated chute spillway. When water reaches a trigger elevation, the gate is opened and flows from Springbrook are directed into the reservoir. When water elevations in Springbrook have receded, the pump station located adjacent to the gated chute spillway is used to pump water back into Springbrook. A sensor system is used to monitor water surface elevations and control the gates and pumps.

 

Overview

The Wayne Oaks Dam and Reservoir is located north of North Avenue and east of Fair Oaks Road on Tributary Number 4 (Trib. No. 4) to the West Branch DuPage River in Carol Stream. The flood control facility spans more than 17 acres and has capacity for nearly 23 million gallons of floodwater.

The basin has been planted with deep-rooted native vegetation that not only promotes infiltration, but also stabilizes the shoreline. In addition, several native trees were planted throughout the area during the restoration work. DuPage County Stormwater Management actively maintains the native vegetation in the wetland and prairie, as well as the weir structure.

Residents often use the Wayne Oaks Dam area for passive recreation such as walking and wildlife watching. Wildlife and waterfowl are frequently observed throughout the area.

Background

The DuPage County Board approved a watershed plan for Trib. No. 4 in 1993. The Trib. No. 4 Watershed drains approximately 2.86 square miles through central DuPage County, including portions of the Village of Carol Stream and unincorporated areas of Wayne Township. The open-channel system of Trib. No. 4 is approximately 1.9 miles long and joins the West Branch DuPage River in the Timber Ridge Forest Preserve. The purpose of the plan was to address flooding along Trib. No. 4 and to recommend necessary modifications to the Wayne Oaks Lake and Dam in order to meet Illinois Department of Natural Resources – Office of Water Resources Dam safety regulations. 

The plan recommended replacing the old metal outlet pipe from the lake with a concrete weir structure, as well as additional excavation to provide floodwater storage for both this and other projects identified in the plan. DuPage County funded the Wayne Oaks Dam Project through a combination of stormwater and drainage Funds. Since the completion of the project, DuPage County Stormwater Management has taken over the operation and maintenance responsibilities of the dam and reservoir.

The Westwood Creek Dam and Pump Station is located in Addison just east of Addison Rd and south of I-290. The facility is located across the Westwood Creek tributary to Salt Creek approximately 800 feet upstream of the tributary mouth. When Salt Creek rises due to a rainfall event, the flood waters, in some cases, begins traveling up the its various tributaries. In the case of Westwood Creek this "backwater" traveled far enough upstream to severely flood a residential neighborhood just west of Addison Road.

The Dam & Pump Station was constructed across Westwood Creek to prevent the flood waters from reaching the residential area. Physically the dam has three large moveable gates which are normally left in the open position to allow normal Westwood Creek waters to flow through the dam to Salt Creek. However, when water elevation sensors on the downstream side of the dam sense that Salt Creek waters are "backing up" Westwood, the gates are automatically closed. The pumps then turn on to "lift" Westwood Creek water over the dam to prevent Westwood Creek itself from flooding the residential neighborhood. The gates then reopen when the sensors determine downstream conditions are safe.

By ordinance, the Salt Creek waters which no longer reach the low lying area along Westwood, must have a placed to be stored so that the flooding problem is not just shifted to another location. That is why this facility was built in conjunction with the Louis Reservoir.

Louis Reservoir is a 210 acre-foot reservoir located on the southwest corner of Lake Street and Villa Avenue at the old Louis Restaurant site in Addison. It consists of one shallow cell and one deeper cell which are connected by a pipe. When flood conditions exist on Salt Creek water begins filling the shallow cell until it reaches the cross-connect pipe which then begins filling the deeper cell. The facility is de-watered after a flood event using the Village of Addison’s Diversey Avenue pump station. The reservoir is connected to the pump station by a pipe which runs along the southern edge of the reservoir site.

The reservoir provides approximately 110 acre-feet of flood plain compensation for flood water which is displaced from low lying areas by the Westwood Creek Dam & Pump Station. The remainder is additional storage capacity. Both the Dam & Pump Station and the Reservoir are maintained by the Village of Addison.

Louis Reservoir

The Wood Dale - Itasca Flood Control Facility was excavated at the confluence of Springbrook Tributary and Salt Creek in the northeast portion of the county. The facility is located south of Thorndale Avenue, west of Wood Dale Road, north of Irving Park Road and east of Prospect Avenue. The facility is made up of four reservoir cells. Three of the cells are gravity drained and provide 325 acre-feet of stormwater storage. The gravity reservoirs are located along the west side of Salt Creek. The larger pump evacuated cell is located along the east side of Salt Creek and provides 1,425 acre-feet of stormwater storage. The entire facility provides 1,750 acre-feet of storage for the Salt Creek Watershed.

Floodwater enters the pump evacuated reservoir through a diversion weir made up of series of four sluice gates located at the end of School Street in Wood Dale. During flood events the sluice gates are opened allowing stormwater to flow down the spillway into the reservoir. The stormwater is temporarily stored until flood levels along Salt Creek have receded. Stormwater is then pumped back to Salt Creek through a pump station and discharge channel.

Construction of the facility began in the early 1990's. Construction progressed through eight separate phases and was completed in 2002. The Wood Dale - Itasca Flood Control Facility provides flood protection to the downstream communities of Wood Dale, Addison, Villa Park, Elmhurst and Unincorporated DuPage County.

• Wood Dale - Itasca Camera Images  
• Wood Dale - Itasca Informational Video

Wood Dale - Itasca Pump Evacuated Reservoir

Four Sluice Gates